


Flowers and Feathers

by quinnlocke



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fantasy AU, First Kisses, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Mage akaashi, Magic marriage, Shapeshifter Bokuto, mage and shapeshifter au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 16:12:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11338875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnlocke/pseuds/quinnlocke
Summary: Two years is a long time to wait for someone.Bokuto is tired of waiting. Today is the day he will show Akaashi just what he means to him. If only he could find that one flower.Fantasy AU with mages, shapeshifters, the language of flowers, and magical kisses.





	Flowers and Feathers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> Based on this [amazing artwork](http://strixies.tumblr.com/post/160594693217/some-fantasy-au-akaashi-is-a-mage-and-bokuto-is-a) by [Strixies](http://strixies.tumblr.com/)

The highway was quiet, hardly any travelers were on the road. One lone figure walked along the path. A tall man dressed in black travelling clothes, staff in one hand, pack on his back, and a large horned owl on his shoulder.

Akaashi Keiji raised a hand to his shoulder and ran his fingers through soft, downy feathers. The owl perched there nipped his fingertips gently and gave a light hoot.

“Good morning, Bokuto-san,” he said and the bird clicked its beak in answer. “We have a bit of a way to go. Will you remain there for the duration of the day?”

The owl let out a hum, or what Akaashi always took to be one. It was hard sometimes to understand the bird’s soft sounds; human mimicry was not one of its talents. “You should fly a bit, stretch your wings.”

He heard a derisive clicking and chuckled. 

“You’ve been healed for the last three days and you know it.” 

The owl let out a sad hoot and hunkered its head down before bringing a wing up over its head. 

“All right,” Akaashi sighed. “One more day, but after that I expect you to make use of those wings.”

He couldn't blame Bokuto for wanting to rest. 

He had been shot three weeks earlier and the arrow had done extensive damage to his wing. Akaashi’s quick thinking had been all that had prevented it from being permanent. His magic had staunched the bleeding and ensured the bone would set properly. Bokuto had spent the duration of that time riding his shoulder, looking imposing while hiding the fact that his left wing was all but useless. It made no difference, since the only people they had seen along their journey were fellow travelers. Akaashi would nod and smile to those who bothered to make eye contact. Most chose not to; the staff that marked Akaashi as a mage made many uneasy.

Since arriving in Karasuno, Akaashi had chosen to wear the markings of the Fukuro guild on his face. A single black line across his cheeks and three dots signifying respect to the three forms of magic on his forehead. He had hoped the symbol of his guild would quell the unease strangers felt upon first seeing him. The Fukuro guild were sworn to keep magic in balance always. They were neither healers nor killers. Neither creators or destroyers. Their only purpose was to maintain the balance of magic. He was not a mage that any who held goodness in their hearts should fear.

Though, it seemed that his guild was unknown to the lands in Karasuno and its surrounding territories. Travelers would nod and smile, but their eyes always flitted from his staff to his shoulder, and then to his hip where his tome was strapped. 

Akaashi would sigh when they passed, wishing he was a more genial sort. Life would be easier if he were the owl and Bokuto the mage. No one would look at Bokuto and think he was dangerous. His eyes held a peaceful gaze even in battle. Travellers would ignore the staff and the tome, the bones hanging from his hips, simply because Bokuto’s presence alone would cause anyone to forget they were there. Soon the silence grew to be too much for Akaashi as it allowed his mind to wander endlessly.

“I miss having a travelling companion,” he said wistfully. Bokuto let out a squawk of indignation. “You know what I mean. I miss having someone to talk to. To share the journey with. It’s too quiet,” Akaashi laughed at the little clicking noise Bokuto made. “Yes, I know, funny me being the one who longs for something to fill the silence.”

Bokuto inched his way closer to Akaashi’s head and nuzzled against it. Akaashi’s hood shifted and Bokuto used the chance to pull it down with his beak before nipping on his ear. 

“Hey!”

Bokuto tittered and continued nuzzling against Akaashi’s face and hooting softly. Akaashi smiled and tilted his head towards the bird. “I don’t recall you being this affectionate before Bokuto-san, is there something you wish to tell me,” he said with an air of sarcasm.

His statement did something to the bird who promptly dug his talons into Akaashi’s shoulder and then took flight. 

Akaashi sighed. He hadn’t meant to be so caustic with his words. In truth he had known for some time the affection between Bokuto and he had been… evolving. It was to be expected given their bond. Every mage within the Fukuro guild was bonded to an owl and put on the path to journey the world, serving magic and keeping the balance. He had been fighting against his feelings on the advice of his mentor. To ignore them until he could be sure they were not a result of the magic that linked them, but as a result of his own heart. 

_“You are of course bonded to him. But you must trust in yourself first. Do not give into the pull of magic or you and he will lose yourselves to it. There has been many a mage and owl both who lost themselves to the bond when it was not reciprocated. Too many try to force it, to gain the power that comes from the binding.”_

A string of hoots and clicks brought his attention to the sky above him. Bokuto circled overhead and Akaashi raised an arm out to welcome him back. There was a hesitance in the bird’s movements and Akaashi tutted. “I wasn’t complaining that you were being affectionate, only the lack of conversation.”

The owl descended and landed softly on Akaashi’s outstretched arm. In his beak was an ivy branch and Akaashi took it with a whispered thanks before Bokuto took off again. 

Akaashi watched the owl fly into the distance and kept the ivy in his hand, wondering what Bokuto was doing. When the owl returned, he had a sprig of violets which Akaashi once again took with a smile of thanks, and watched Bokuto leave. Finally Bokuto returned with a single iris which he dropped into Akaashi’s waiting hands before settling on his shoulder again.

Akaashi pulled a bit of leather string from his pack and did his best to weave the flowers together before tying them to his wrist. Bokuto nudged him and hooted at the bundle excitedly. Akaashi furrowed his eyebrows together and tried to piece what Bokuto was asking of him. “Is there something in this?”

Bokuto’s head bobbed and he ruffled his feathers. Akaashi studied the flowers and did his best to remember his lessons. 

“Ah, I see, ivy for friendship. I value your friendship as well, Bokuto-san. Violets… violets mean loyalty and devotion. Well that is is to be expected since we are bonded, but I appreciate that you hold me in this esteem nonetheless. Iris, what was iris?”

Bokuto clicked his beak as if to say he was disappointed, earning a glare from Akaashi. “Some of us had to learn other important things not how to read messages in wildflower… oh, iris is a message.”

With that, Bokuto took flight again and Akaashi was left alone. 

A message then. Bokuto had a message he wished to give, but wanted Akaashi to know that he saw him as a friend whom he was loyally devoted to. When Bokuto returned empty-mouthed and looking forlorn Akaashi stopped and held out his arm. 

“Can’t find the right flower to deliver your message?”

Bokuto shook his head and kept his golden gaze down to the ground. 

“I suppose you’ll just have to tell me yourself instead of using flower code.” 

His words caused the owl to squawk and look at him wide eyed, an impressive feat considering wide-eyed was a near permanent look for the bird. Akaashi snickered and ruffled his head affectionately. 

“I understand Bokuto-san. I will wait patiently to learn what your secret message is, no matter which way you decide to deliver it.”

Bokuto continued to take flight throughout the day and would continue to return with nothing but a forlorn expression. Akaashi saw many flowers along the path and tried to remember their meanings. Lilac was the joy of youth, but having spent nearly his entire life devoted to the guild he scarcely remembered such a thing. Zinnia was for the thoughts of absent friends and he chose to push those aside. It would not do to dwell on that. He would see some of them again, maybe. As he stared along the path he caught a glimpse of some flowers he’d never seen before. 

The centers were a deep purple, almost black in the fading light of day while the edges of the petals were a white so bright he believed he might even be able to see them in the dark. Bokuto twittered excitedly at the sight and dropped to the ground next to them. Akaashi leaned down and plucked a few. “These then?”

Bokuto hooted and stamped the ground. 

“I don’t know what these ones are. But I am sure I can find a reference for them. Looks like I was right about bringing a few books along the journey after all.” Bokuto huffed and hopped back onto Akaashi’s shoulder, refusing to dignify Akaashi’s statement.

Soon the sun began to dip below the tree line and Akaashi drew a small forked rod from his belt. He held the split end and called to the innate power inside him, letting the rod direct him off the road and into the woods. He soon heard the sounds of running water and knelt down to the ground. He pushed out a breath of air that soon formed into a barrier that settled around him and Bokuto. “We have running water and an area suitable for a bit of rest. Do you want your pack?”

The owl bobbed its head in assent and Akaashi pulled a bundle from his pack and placed it in the owl's talons. “Go bathe. I’ll have the fire going when you return.”

Bokuto disappeared in a rustle of wings and Akaashi snapped a fire to life. He knew it was looked down on by most of his fellow mages to light simple fire with magic, to waste part of his mana. But having not needed to use it for most of the day, he found a simple pleasure in conjuring flame, especially since the ones he conjured were always much warmer than the ones he attempted to build on his own. 

He settled next to the fire and searched through his bag for the book he’d mentioned earlier. A compendium of all the herbs and flowers found throughout the known world. It had been one of the few books he’d insisted on bringing. Knowing which flowers were edible, could be used in potions, and which should be avoided - unless one wished to find themselves in their own grave - was always useful. He had tied Bokuto’s last gift into the bundle with the rest of the flowers and was searching for them within the book. After a time, his eyes scanned across a picture of the familiar petals and he read over the description.

_Gloxinia - proud spirit, love at first sight._

_Used in draughts to enhance spirit magic. Do not use in lust draughts as gloxinia is a symbol of true love, not simulated._

Akaashi stared down at the words in front of him and found himself breathless. He heard soft steps behind him and soon felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I wanted you to know before I said anything… that I hold the other things higher. Our friendship, our bond, what we’ve built in these last two years. That’s still gonna be important no matter what.” Bokuto’s voice was always a source of comfort for Akaashi. Each day he longed for the evenings when Bokuto could be human again and they could converse as two people. Not engage in the one sided conversations they were forced to endure during the day.

“We’re bonded Bokuto-san, it’s always going to be important. We have a life’s mission to uphold. We… we would lose ourselves if we turned our backs on that.”

He heard the sound of Bokuto kneeling into the ground behind him and soon felt the other man's chin rest on his shoulder. 

“I didn’t want you to think I only felt this way because of the bond. I know we’re supposed to be smart… to remember that magic does funny things to us. That… that sometimes it tries to push us together to further our strength.”

“I have heard of many forcing themselves to forge something stronger to achieve more power. It never ends well.”

“Yeah, but I felt something for you before that. From the moment you walked into the room that first day.”

“When they were determining who we’d be attached to?”

Bokuto nodded. 

“I looked at you and thought to myself, please, please let him be mine. I’ll do anything if he’s mine. I felt myself drawn to you before the magic even joined us. That's what I wanted you to know. So if you’ve been keeping your distance cause you’re worried, well you don’t have to. Unless of course you don’t feel that, and that's ok. I’ll suffer a bit sure, anyone would. But the other flowers, friendship, loyalty, devotion. They come first always, I promise you that.”

Akaashi turned and looked into the golden eyes of his owl, no not an owl now, but a man kneeling before him. Like all mages in Fukuro, Akaashi was bonded to a shapeshifter. A vessel for his magic, a protector, a lifelong companion. Those who respected the bond and were wary of its effects lived long happy lives, sometimes even with their bonded one. Those who gave into the pull without caution found themselves the victims of unstable magics, too much unfocused power, and in the end, death for both who did not heed the warnings. 

“Are you absolutely sure of your feelings Bokuto-san? The magic… it is strong. It wants to grow and it forces us to feel… certain ways to enhance itself. We must maintain the balance.”

Bokuto tilted his head slightly and smiled. "You've always thought about things a lot like that, Akaashi. I get that you're worried. We'd both be screwed if this... if it all went south.”

“I have felt things for you since the beginning. I ignored them because of the warnings. Many of the feelings have dissipated, others still linger.”

“What kinda feelings?”

“I wake up every day wishing our bedrolls were just a little closer, so that maybe your arms would be around me when I wake up. I find great enjoyment in your presence, no matter your form. I think sometimes I enjoy having you in owl form simply because I can be openly affectionate with you and have it seem like an unconscious gesture.”

Bokuto hummed and nodded, nuzzling his cheek against Akaashi’s. “I won’t lie and say I haven’t used my adorable appearance to garner your affections.”

“You aren’t supposed to look adorable. You’re a horned owl, a bird of prey capable of taking down birds larger than you.”

“To the rest of the world sure, but when it's just us…” he said, brushing a stray curl from Akaashi’s face. “Haven’t we been careful long enough? Two years is so long to wait Akaashi, don’t make me wait longer.”

“A long time to wait for what?”

“To finally do this,” Bokuto whispered softly, leaning forward. 

Akaashi found himself unable to resist the pull and met Bokuto the rest of the way. Their lips joined and both felt a surge of power run through them. The wind picked up and circled through the camp, the fire began to crackle and pop in an array of colors. Moonlight burst through the trees and bathed the couple in its light as they grasped at one another. Bokuto shifted forward causing Akaashi to lose his balance and fall backwards, crying out when he smacked into a rock.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” Bokuto apologized, helping Akaashi sit up.

“No it’s fine, just give me a moment.”

“Are you alright?”

“Just a rock in my back, it is nothing. My pride however…”

They looked at one another and started laughing. Bokuto reached out and stroked Akaashi’s cheek. “I love you Akaashi, I’m always gonna love you.”

Akaashi smiled softly and looked down at his hands. “I have very strong emotions regarding you as well. I will probably be afraid of them for some time. The risks… you know the risks.”

“Why do you think I waited two years to even attempt to say something? I needed to see what kind of mage you were. The danger isn’t strictly reserved for you.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Akaashi answered quickly, fiddling his fingers together nervously. “What… what kind of mage have you found me to be?”

“One who respects his power and uses it for good. Goddess knows how many times you've put yourself at risk to protect me, when I’m supposed to be the one protecting you.”

There was a palpable silence between them as they both acknowledged the ambush that had left Bokuto flightless for weeks and forced them to travel as they had been, as man and bird. Akaashi had spent several nights tending to an owl who had no ability to transform back into a man for the amount of pain he was in. He’d seen the fear in Bokuto’s eyes and new it was shared in his own. That same fear was there now. The fear of losing each other. Of losing themselves. 

“Can you handle the power that comes from this?” Akaashi asked solemnly. “Do you understand what it will mean to bind ourselves?”

Bokuto nodded and took Akaashi’s hands into his own. “I got the same speech as you. They tell us a thousand times what it means to be bonded. You and me are gonna be stuck together from now on. But I'm okay with that! Because it’s you."

“I’m afraid,” Akaashi admitted. “I almost lost you in that ambush. I still hear your cries in my sleep. If we do this… and I lose you. I would die with you. By my own hand I swear it.”

Bokuto tipped Akaashi’s chin up and looked into his eyes. “So we just gotta make sure we survive then. You and me, walking the path so long as it goes. Isn’t that what we’re meant to do?”

Bokuto linked their fingers together and kissed Akaashi’s knuckles as he led him to stand. Akaashi took the bundle of flowers Bokuto had given him and placed it between their palms, he then used the leather tie that held them together to bind their wrists. He breathed deep and repeated the words he’d memorized from the moment his feelings became clear to him, somehow knowing one day this moment would come.

“I, Akaashi Keiji, mage of the Fukuro guild, do hereby bind myself to Bokuto Koutarou, shapeshifter of the Fukuro guild. I give him my heart, my spirit, and my power. I share this willingly with him and pledge to follow the path. Bringing balance to the world and ensuring the continuation of our magic.”

Bokuto took a deep breath. “I, Bokuto Koutarou, shapeshifter of the Fukuro guild, do hereby accept the binding of my heart, spirit, and power to Akaashi Keiji, mage of the Fukuro guild. I accept this gift willingly and pledge to follow the path. Bringing balance to the world and ensuring the continuation of our magic.”

They locked gazes and repeated the final words together. “Thus with a kiss and a promise, we so pledge to be bound, for so long as we walk the path.”

***

The village was abuzz with gossip days later when Akaashi walked through the market, Bokuto perched on his shoulder with his head buried under his wing.

“Sakura said she saw stars bursting in the sky. Said the moon looked so bright she thought it were day time.”

“Chiyo said her roses bloomed weeks early and some of them came out a shade of purple she’d never seen before. Said she’d planted white roses in those boxes.”

“Aren’t purple roses supposed to be for love?”

“No that’s red roses you idiot!”

“No she’s right, the purple ones are for love at first sight. Something special was happening that night.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying there’s love around that’s what I’m saying. Probably some real powerful love to to be making nature react the way it is. I’ve seen more young people holding hands in the last two days than I have seen in months. Good things are happening and I say we accept it. Love is always a blessing.”

Akaashi felt the soft press of feathers next to his ear and smiled at the soft hoot in his ear. 

“I know, Koutarou, I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this months ago and posted it to tumblr but never to my Ao3.
> 
> Hit a snag today with some writing and figured it couldn't hurt to at least publish something. So here it is beta'd by the totally awesome [risquetendencies](http://archiveofourown.org/users/risquetendencies/pseuds/risquetendencies), who helped me fix some of Bokuto's speech patterns. He didn't quite sound like himself in the first draft.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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